These Rangers are better, and different, than a week ago

First this: Planning a Live ECF Chat Friday at noon. Let’s talk Rangers-Habs, Rangers-Penguins, Rangers-anything. Be there. I will provide notes to your bosses.

Meanwhile, here’s my column from The Journal News and Lohud.com:

By Rick Carpiniello

Penguins in five.

Those words were printed right here on May 2. There was some derision, and at least two angry e-mails promising never to read anything I write ever again. But most agreed. Rangers would be a long, long shot to upset the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Not looking for an excuse or a reason or an explanation, because that prediction was wrong, awfully wrong, even if it looked accurate after three straight Rangers losses made it 3-1, Pittsburgh.

But let’s be honest here — again, not excusing my level of wrongness — the Rangers who won Games 5, 6 and 7 to become the first team in 17 opportunities in franchise history to come back from 3-1 down were a very different group.

One hundred and eighty degrees different than the one that lost Game 4 in such ugly fashion that Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis, in particular, and the team in general, were booed at the Garden.

They are a very different group, with a different dynamic, a different belief, a stronger focus. So in this next round, in the Eastern Conference finals, they will not be overwhelming underdogs against Montreal. Underdogs, yes, but with a biting chance.

So what happened? Well, out of tragedy comes triumph. The Rangers had a tragedy in their family. As Brad Richards said the day before Game 7, the Rangers would rather have had Martin St. Louis still have his mom than have had the energy and togetherness St. Louis’ loss inspired.

It did inspire. St. Louis getting off that plane in Pittsburgh and going home to Montreal, then getting on another plane and returning for Game 5 — and nobody, not a soul, would have blamed him if he skipped it — changed the Rangers.

It’s impossible to say they wouldn’t have come back from that horrible Game 4 performance, but St. Louis pulled it all together.

How much different were the Rangers? Well, the Penguins got pushed around and frustrated and distracted by a team that pretty much everybody thought was too soft at times. They got outplayed for most of the final 180 minutes of a series by a less-skilled team pretty much everybody thought was too inconsistent.

They got out-willed by the core of a team that has summoned such will so very often when faced with elimination these last three springtimes.

Of course, they got out-backstopped by Henrik Lundqvist, the best Game 7 goalie in the game (NHL-record five straight Game 7 wins, allowing a total of four goals), though Marc-Andre Fleury down the other end didn’t completely implode, and was in fact quite good in Game 7 after tossing a pair of shutouts in Games 2 and 3.

The Rangers did it with speed and depth, their supposed third and fourth lines much better than Pittsburgh’s third and fourth, and most of the series, better than Pittsburgh’s first. Their star scorer didn’t score, but Pittsburgh’s bigger star scored only once.

Alain Vigneault pushed just about every correct button, getting his matchups, getting his guys rest when they needed it, shortening the bench when warranted (while Dan Bylsma, it seems, will inevitably be fired). He preached focus. His players bought.

You look at these Rangers, after the last three games, differently. You have to. They are different. They think they can beat anybody, anywhere, when it counts.

More important, they are closer now than they were during the season or during the roller-coaster series they created with an inferior Philadelphia team.

What this team now feels and believes about itself is obvious and apparent. What it feels and believes is, because of that, anything is possible.

215 Comments

This is a Team Canada vs Sweden Gold medal game rematch . USA got eliminated . This Match up is HANK vs PRICE . Hank wants revenge . Watch for Hank to rise even to another level and this time he has the better team ahead of him . Price has a bunch of overcheavers.

By the way Pru Im Canadian and this match up has nothing to do with Countries. It has everything to do with two storied franchises that have been in the NHL for a long time . Its not French vs french (AV) nor is it a international series. That stuff is over and this series is to see whom plays for the Stanley Cup next round. Exciting isn’t it?

Hank in Montreal…Boyle vs Prust…PK Slewfoot….Dale Weise former Ranger turned playoff hero…and finally,,,a few days rest….not sure what all this adds up to…but the one variable we can count on is right here in Carpville…home of Carp, Charps and Boneheads…let the games begin!

The only thing different is Nash can’t score. He sucks , Stepan is awfull and MSL isn’t scoring .

I saw a good team all year . We had up and down but we sure didn’t miss the playoffs. We had a good year and to no surprise , we out team 2 teams so far. No one says talent wins the cup. Its the team . ALL year ( except SJ/ANA) we played good and now its paying off.

Fresh start for Nash. We need 8 more wins. So there is plenty of time for the Nash-o-meter to light up and score some game winning goals. Because of this I still think this team has another level to go to. THE Kreider (playing possessed like game 6), can will help this line look and feel like a number 1 line.

I’m excited because THIS team has 4 solid lines that can play. AV doesn’t have to shorten his bench like Torts did two years ago. The #3 line on payroll has been the real #1 line on the stat sheet. Which gives us Richie Rich AND Marty St Louis as our . . (Insert # here) line.

Don’t you feel like AV is playing the shell game right in front of you. You never know which line you find the GWG under.

Hank is the better goalie!
The D is more balanced, with 2 shut down pairs.
The top three lines can play equal minutes.

He seams to have an extra reserve of energy that most if not all players do not posses. His shot is a bomb, and he seams able to get it through more often than not. He also plays on the edge all games , serving as an instigator, as well as tough guy. He also has a beard reminiscent of the great Yankee-killer David Ortiz, aka Big Papi.

You are totally right about the four playable lines AV has. The Rangers probably wouldn’t have made it out of the first round against Philly or would have been doused rather easily by Pittsburgh if they did not roll four lines. The rolling four lines was the best antidote for that awful tiring schedule they had.

I was in the Blue seats for Game 3. I think that game was just so deflating. Somehow the team found energy and skated and played real well. Even the PP was going well, but Fleury denied everything and two sloppy sequences lead to Pens goals. That took all the wind out of everyones sails and they were done.

That game proved they could still play at the Pens high level but things just bounced badly on them. Too bad. But then came tragedy and the rest we know.

By the way why didn’t the league look at the nasty slapshot to J. Fest teeth by James Neal. When you look at all the replays… there was obvious intent. Look at his eyes and movement of the stick at the last moment!

Well some of us believed (reference prediction thread for proof). Seriously did not think Pens were great and with The Tang still not 100% and Bylsma front loading his offense, they became very one dimensional.
Fact is our bottom 6 outplayed their bottom 6 by a long shot. At even strength we were the better team and just needed our PP to not give up any SH or jack-in-the-box breakaways.
Happy to be playing Hags, not because they are not are very formidable opponent, but ‘style wise’, we match up better than with Bs.

Montreal speed? NY can handle it this year, and also can give some problems to Montreal in that department. Also, NY’s defense is much more mobile than Boston’s. They can all skate very well and catch up with their forwards. That includes our third pair, J.Moore can skate. It will be a tremendous series. Can’t wait!

Do you guys think the league should have a phone call with Mr Lucic following his post-series handshake antics?

That handshake line to me is one of the most sacred things in hockey. As a kid, watching grown men bloody each other to a pulp with fights, hard checks, stick work, etc., and then at the very end act like gentlemen and shake hands, say “good job and good luck” was something that really resonated with me and made me love the sport.

It’s completely classless/ bush-league to disrespect the league, your teammates, your opponents, your city, and your sweater by behaving like a jackass during that handshake.

Maybe I hold too much value for that final show of sportsmanship, but to me, that handshake is sacred.

Funny, all season long I kept saying nobody but Boston in the East scares me, that we could beat any of them. But watching what I watched of G6 and G7 of the M-B series, I was kind of rooting for Boston. I looked at their defense, and what the Habs did to them, and they looked VERY beatable. Chara looks slow (is he hurt or getting old?) and the three kids have a dynamic offensive upside, but they are frequently out of position defensively. Habs speed KILLED Boston. So I was kinda rooting for Boston last night. Montreal plays a similar game as ours. Can we slow them down? Can we stop PK? Price has played great and has the Olympic Gold in his pocket. Should be a lot of fun! LGR!!!!

As Staal Wart said, at what point does the post game handshake turn into a brawl?

I think they should come down on this behavior immediately to discourage any future incidents. Give an inch, and a mile will be taken.

If the league shouldn’t speak with him, surely his captain or teammates should pull him to the side. If I was Chara, I’d reprimand him in the locker room / in private.

I remember a story that Tie Domi retold where he was acting like a jackass during a game. When he got to the locker room, Messier let him have it and threatened him. You respect the game and your opponent.

I really don’t think that Chara is one to speak. I think since he’s lost foot speed he’s become a pretty darn dirty and desperate player.

I’m just sick of the league policing everything that happens. Let the game go on and let the players deal with it. It’s just silly at this point with the water squirt fines and all that garbage. Just let ’em play the game.

Lucic got punished: he lost, played horrible, flexed like a jackwagon and really lost a lot of respect from other players/fans.

Remember, he’s the guy that got into a fight with a Canucks fan in Vancouver.

Totally agree about Lucic and the handshake. The handshake has also made an impression on me as well. I thought Brodeur was a jackass for not shaking Avery’s hand, and I think Lucic is the same for that kind of trash talking. Save it for next year, on the ice. To me, the handshake is the ultimate in team sportsmanship. No other sport does it this way. After a football game you might get some informal handshakes, baseball, hoops, you don’t get this. These guys play their hearts and souls out and then shake hands after, just shows class.

Someone on the NBC broadcast made a good point last night. The league fines a player $5000 for squirting a water bottle, but not even a penalty for a spear in the onions? Does that make sense to any of you?

I happen to agree with most. The handshake is what separates hockey from any other sports. It’s been going on for generations, and gives a true hockey goosebumps. If it really happened, it’s a shame and classless. It’s up to hockey veterans to preserve that moment for everyone.

Sat 1pm game in the middle of May: Fail by NHL.
Sorry but most people dont’ want to sit in on a late Spring Saturday Afternoon and watch NHL hockey.
Why is this league rinky-kink? Because Buttman diminishes the product to get a 15% ad rate buy increase.
Hockey in the spring should be at night, but they just don’t get it…

Carp, good points that I somehow forgot to think about. Our “3rd” and 4th lines won that series for us. Usually, it’s been the Rangers getting beat by them, but the fact that we can roll the D Moops line out in almost any situation is a big advantage.

That’s why I agree with many here that they need to re-sign Moore and Boyle at all *reasonable* costs.

this series may showcase the future of the NHL ‘style wise’ as the post-goon speed game will be showcased. The games will still feature hitting and the after-the-whistle jostling, but for the most part, these teams are carry and create teams, not dump, chase and grind.

1979 Game 1 cup finals, the JD-Espo led Rangers (riding high off semis upset of soon to be dynastic Islanders) drill Ken Dryden and the Canadiens, 4-1 at The Forum, the great Ken Dryden looking old and possibly done. Scotty Bowman pulls him in 3rd period. To great disbelief, Bowman announces that career back-up goalie Bunny Laroque (yes, Bunny Laroque!!!) will start game 2 in goal.

Well, in pre-game warm up, errant shot from Doug Risebrough nails Laroque in the noggin and knocks him cold, carted off to hospital. The rest, as they say, is history: Dryden back in net recovers his hall of fame form, and the Canadiens overwhelm JD and the Rangers 4 straight. Dryden calls it a career and retires on top, and Ranger fans are left wondering “What if?”

I was torn about who I wanted to play in the ECF, but in hindsight I’m really glad the Bruins lost. Not only because the tears of Boston sports fans sustain me, but because I think the Habs might be a better matchup for us. I’m vibin’ with Manny because last season I was thrilled the Bruins beat the Leaves because I thought the Leaves speed would give us fits, but then Boston killed us and it was the worst thing ever. So lets try the opposite this year and maybe it will be right.

Thats the thing with acting like a tough guy in such a controlled setting. It IS a controlled setting, its not standing tall in real life in every situation. Its a game, on a rink, in a sport where fighting is allowed.

If lucic said Im gonna F you up next year. So what

If lucic said watch your back tonight, dont go out after in boston ever again.

Then thats a serious threat, he threatening a guy to worry about something happening away from the rink. Thats a game-changer.

No doubt fisher would pick the Habs in 5 tho. He picked the islanders in 7 in 1994. Of course no one thought the rangers could win on Long Island before 1994 anyway. Zubov goal at the coliseum in March of 1994 was first ranger win there since 1990. I guess old red figured islanders would take one in ny and hold serve at the coliseum.

Patrick Roy had a sixty save game after a kidney infection that playoffs. Who did he beat? The bruins.

Im not vibin diaz. I noticed, after game 5 when they showed marty taking the hat and then putting the sticker up on the board. Diaz’s nose was locked into his cell phone, he didn’t even look up when St. Louis passed him by. I go into battle with john moore every day of the week.

Tell you what. It seems like the rangers and that group of players in hartford under Gernander and then under Torts. Seems like even they move on they prove to be passionate, willing, effective hockey players.. Ex-rangers around the league strive bc they learned how to believe in themselves, and compete like it.

The only 2 teams that I was concerned a lot with was Columbus and Boston.

Mtl is a rugged team though, 2 D men that really really love to hit in the open ice.

The Eller line and the moen line play rugged, we have the Boyle line and the Brass line (with THE Pouliot) that play rugged. Plus Nash seems to be effectively hitting and never know what enigma might contribute.

Should be a good series, must get bodies in front of price…hello 4th line, THE Pouliot, enigma, Nash.

I rather have played boston, they looked slow, especially chara. This years ranger team plays a different style which would have been very effective against the bigger, slower bruins. Last years ranger style played right into boston hands. I don’t like this matchup at all, rangers against the habs. I see the habs winning this series in 5 or 6 games. I hope I’m truly wrong and eat crow.

I actually think the Rangers would be better off facing Boston. Montreal poses problems for the D with their speed. Boston appeared tired, and Price is better than Rask. Chara is slower than ever. The positives about playing Montreal is that Nash won’t be intimidated by them like he would have by Boston. Henrik will have to overcome his house of horrors, the Bell Centre. We’ll see.

Been tied up since yesterday. Must say by beating flyers then going through Pittsburgh(which by the way makes up for all the years of Mario tormenting us and the Francis goal from center ice) having beaten Crosby in Pittsburgh the other night and now having to go to the house of horrors the bell centre with all the atrocious numbers I must say this could be the hockey gods saying why not us and giving us this journey.

It’s only fitting to have to go through the bell centre to play for a cup.

So we would rather play the Bruins now they are out of it and the Habs took them out, albeit in 7 games. Well last year you got the Bruins..how did that work out?
don’t buy into this team is not the same, it isn’t, but style wise, the Bruins are a horrible match up for us.
Chara’s old? tell boyle as he rag dolls him
Lucic sucks? Ask McD when he eats glass 5 times a game
Their D is young? Believe their D scored more than their forwards against us.
The 4th line? Absolutely kills us.
We are very lucky to be playing Les Habitantes who are a very good team.

Thanks for that contribution. If that handshake line turns into what Lucic and others want it to be, it will be a great loss. When I was young, coaches would tell us that it matters not who wins or loses, it’s how you play the game. And nobody snickered or rolled their eyes.

I don’t think the league should get involved because I just generally don’t think that’s the kind of thing the league should have purview over. The handshake line should be something that teams do on their own in the interest of sportsmanship and tradition. Generally, I think that’s true right now and 99% of players treat it that way. The handshake line shouldn’t be required and there shouldn’t be rules that govern it. Lucic being an idiot reflects poorly on him and the Bruins, but I don’t think being classless should be fineable on its own.

Lucic..guys just find new and inventive ways to urinate all over the little bit of purity and honor that the NHL still has running through its veins. Maybe he needs to have something awful happen to him physically or away from the sport so he can stop thinking he’s so damn important and tough.

Carp mentioned something about this opportunity. We talked about this a bit during the regular season as well. In 2012 they played WASH, OTT, and NJ. Most years that’s a very generous road to the Cup Finals. Everyone plays tough but to avoid certain power houses is a big bonus. You just bested Pittsburgh after eliminating the Flyers. That’s a power house + another team that won a ton of games after Thanksgiving. No Boston, no Detroit left to play. Just a similar team riding momentum that just won a series they were an underdog in. One I might add which has maybe the one arena where there is such a thing as home ice advantages. Sounds dangerous in it’s own right but this isn’t a spot or a chance that many teams will have. They need to give themselves a chance to win regardless of this past season or anyone personal career records in Montreal.

Agreed with Rob, If you prefer not to shake someones hand like Brodeur did with Avery (though some say it was just because he had a veal parm sandwich he was reaching for) then fine. Be a sore disgruntled loser but keep it to yourself. It takes more a man to stand there and shake someones hand after a loss then it does to talk smack. I’ve played and have had to do it as I’m sure other here have too.

I’ve always kinda laiched Brooks but who knows what he has left. $3MM for a year on the 3rd line then promote Lindberg when he gets hurt sounds interesting enough. Giving him more money or longer term not so much.

This is the same team that has been among the league’s best since Christmas. Nothing happened in the past week. The difference is that the Rangers, a skating team that wins through its speed, had dead legs during the tail end of the 5-games-in-7-days stretch. Given a tiny bit of rest, they took again to outskating the Penguins.

It’s nice that they rallied around MSL, but seriously, that had about as much to do with the outcome as the momentum you always deride.

They don’t play these games on paper. Yeah, Boston and Pittsburgh have the best teams on paper, but they were both outskated by deeper teams with excellent goaltending.

here’s what i don’t understand
why would St. Louis’ family have the funeral
on saturday?
did they think at the time they were accommodating MSL’s schedule
or needed to adjust for others?
thought it would have happened at some point
wednesday through friday
and
as far as nbc….
the horse race thing
happens in a definitive time — a minute of racing?
after a lot of airtime hype and then post-race airtime
so
it’s just stupid, overall, to put the game on before rather than afterwards

Was away on business and did not catch the Montreal/Boston game last night. I’m glad we will be playing Les Has. Should be a fast paced and skating series. I also was unaware of Milan Lucic-Dale Weise incident until this morning. Although the guy can certainly play, I’ve lost lots of respect for Lucic over the years because he often plays like a thug. Repeat, not tough just thuggish. And that nonsense about pounding his chest and making an arm muscle is pure bush league. But I saw the video on the web of him telling Weise and another Montreal player on the handshake line that, if this turns out to be true, he is “going to F****** kill them next year” is not only totally over the top but he violated one of the almost sacred and best traditions in all of sport—the post game handshake. This guy is a complete loser in every sense of the word. I do agree that Weise should have kept the remark “on the ice” and not go public. But it all began with Lucic’s boorish behavior. Scroll down after clicking on the link below and take a real close look at the pic from the 1952 Stanley Cup Finals when Rocket Richard beat Boston goalie Sugar Jim Henry for the winning goal. Just look at their faces as they handshake! This is real class, something beyond Mr. Lucia’s capability to comprehend.http://dennis-kane.com/tag/sugar-jim-henry

Milan Lucic’s behavior is the Bruin attitude in a microcosm. They are always victims. When they attack or hurt someone, they accuse the victims of being soft or cowards. They have some sense of entitlement. Now, they are out to a team that actually played hockey instead of gooning it up. Lucic and Chara are really big babies. Lucic surely has anger issues, as he ends up in fights off the ice too. No respect for them. I would take PK Slewfoot any day.

two of the best hockey cities ready to go at it. Can’t get any better than this.
throw in Chi and (hopefully) LA and you have three major media markets showcasing NHL.
How can the league screw this up? let us count the ways…

All three meetings between the teams were shutouts. The Canadiens took two of them, including winning the season finale in overtime. Price made 41 saves in that game. A total of four goals were scored in the three games.

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